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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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How I Got This Shot: Photog

Widener recalls capturing Tank Man image 20 years ago

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(Newser) – On the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square, one image endures: a lone man standing in front of a column of tanks, refusing to let them pass. Jeff Widener, the AP photographer who captured the moment, tells USA Today how he evaded the police and the censors to take the shot and get it out of China.

Security forces rumored to be carrying cattle prods were repelling journalists from the high-rise hotel near the square, but a guest helped Widener, his film stuffed down his underwear, sneak into a room. From there, he went to the roof where he stayed for hours, nearly missing the shot—he took three photographs but only one came out. Widener was back in China recently: "There's a Starbucks on every corner. But it was hard not to see everything through the prism of what happened 20 years ago."

Students stage a protest in front of Chinese Embassy in Berlin, Thursday June 4, 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on 1989's Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in China.
Students stage a protest in front of Chinese Embassy in Berlin, Thursday June 4, 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on 1989's Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in China.   (AP Photo/Maya Hitij)
In this June 5, 1989 photo by Jeff Widener, a Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Chang'an Boulevard, near Tiananmen Square.
In this June 5, 1989 photo by Jeff Widener, a Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Chang'an Boulevard, near Tiananmen Square.   (AP Photo/Jeff Widener, File)
Foreign journalists were barred from Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday amid heavy security on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on 1989 pro-democracy protests.
Foreign journalists were barred from Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday amid heavy security on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on 1989 pro-democracy protests.   (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel)
A Chinese paramilitary police officer stretches as he stands guard in front of a portrait of former leader Mao Zedong on display at the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Wednesday, June 3, 2009.
A Chinese paramilitary police officer stretches as he stands guard in front of a portrait of former leader Mao Zedong on display at the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, Wednesday, June 3, 2009.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang speaks with fasting university students in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the last time he was seen in public, early Friday May 19, 1989.
Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang speaks with fasting university students in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the last time he was seen in public, early Friday May 19, 1989.   (AP Photo/Xinhua, File)
In this May 30, 1989 file photo, the portrait of Mao Zedong overs Tiananmen Square faces off a statue dubbed
In this May 30, 1989 file photo, the portrait of Mao Zedong overs Tiananmen Square faces off a statue dubbed "The Goddess of Democracy" by students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.   (AP Photo/Jeff Widener, File)
The bodies of dead civilians lie among mangled bicycles near Beijing's Tiananmen Square in this June 4, 1989 file photo.
The bodies of dead civilians lie among mangled bicycles near Beijing's Tiananmen Square in this June 4, 1989 file photo.   (AP Photo/File)
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1 comment
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Mr.C
Jun 4, 09 10:34 PM CDT
It is a pretty cool moment to capture. But there is an acctual video of this happening. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-nXT8lSnPQ Reply
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